at time when a v.a. has come to us with more than a $6 billion budget deficit, the department literally cannot afford to operate this way anymore. mega-projects are also incombattable with the best practices that took told the software industry more than a decade ago. i'm talking about agile incremental development, small scale deploys, testing by real users and component-based architecture. we're going to hear about successful use of these practices from our panel of independent experts and hopefully, from our v.a. witnesses as well. we've also seen some encouraging examples when they are solving problems with smaller systems. they recognize the outdated benefit management system and they have been proactively seg men. and modernizing it in individual parts. as with most things in government, the larger project gets the harder it is to manage and the less likely it is to ever deliver useful capability. i want to emphasize these lessons learned. we need to build up nimbler v.a. that's more responsive to the

has been successful. we spent many hours in the subcommittee discussing v.a.'s three magic -- megaprojects that are racking up schedule delays. electronic health record modernization has spent nearly $10 billion already and would cost more than 37 billion dollars to implement according to the institute for defense analysis. the true cost across the v.a. is higher than that as it does not include the enormous and additional staffing requirements where the loss in productivity. v.a. and oracle are on the cusp of resuming the rollout but there is no end in sight. after six years, financial management business transformation has only installed a momentum system in a few small corners of the v.a. and its cost estimate has more than doubled to 5.8 billion dollars according to the ida. finally, the digital g.i. bill has missed its original 2024 completion date and its final price tag will likely double as well. not only have these systems gone past schedules and budgets, they are also struggling to live up to the users expectations. however, there are signs that the v

v.a.? ms. marg: correct. his rating has actually increased, so he is 70%, but he is rated as iu for individual employability. he is actually at 100% right now. chair moran: what was the reason the v.a. made that recommendation that you seek care elsewhere? how did they explain that? ms. marg: at his follow-up visit after his second suicide attempt the nurse practitioner told us that the v.a. did not do long-term mental health well, and she turned around her computer screen and pulled up psychologytoday.com and told us to search and filter for which providers take tricare and to connect to a provider like that. the only explanation was, they just don't do long-term mental health well. chair moran: is it true, mr. eaton, that the v.a. could refer charlie to the same place that tricare would be paying for? mr. eaton: yes sir. the location ms. marg highlighted is a member of the network and would be eligible for a referral. chair moran: that caught my attention, where you have helped find a place for ms. marg's husband, charlie

v.a. has over 450,000 employees and contract with hundreds of thousands of private providers across the country. can you explain what roles you have held that would prepare you for leaving such a large organization? >> i have been part of this body and overseen working through votes and bills that affect the v.a. from a day-to-day operation. i understand the v.a. by being a member like you. i have spent time in the military working with individuals and served at the air force base with over 5000 -- with personnel working across -- and of personal decisions p i have been a leader in other ways and believe leadership is how you deal with this. including good people -- and putting good people in good positions. chair moran: senator cramer i'm compelled to ask this question because senator hirono asked you if you would -- i think the implication was would you carry out an illegal order by the president of the united states, of which there is no evidence he would ever do or has ever done. it is so

duke, if the v.a. has their fingers in this pie, it will not work. this is the testimony from the ig. i asked if they were good with developing software systems. v.a. does not have a track record of -- as a track record of implementing major i.t. systems. they almost without fail take longer. i would prefer just to leave it at that. so the ig was intimidated and afraid to tell the truth, which is you guys cannot manage anything. there is something else i want to point out. you guys came here previously and released a statement, april 21, 2023, you said that we are going to cut your budget. this is what you said. it will be 30 million fewer outpatient visits, did that take place? it did not. undetermined access. you were going to undermine access to telehealth. did we do that? did we worsen a time for benefits? prevent construction on the health care facilities and veterans needs? we are working on that. fail to honor veterans, their memory by dumping on the cemeteries. did that happen? no. did we increase food insecurity for veterans? no. deprived vet

chair luttrell: v.a. has a problem with letters going to veterans. i got that. in that letter on the second page when he read me that? -- you read me that? ms. springer: "how this decision could affect you." that is v.a. considering the person should be deemed competent and have a fiduciary. it is very wordy. chair luttrell: could be or will be? ms. springer: could you say again please? ms. springer: this decision could affect you. i'm referring to a proposal of incompetency. that is one of the first steps in the process. v.a. is proposing to the veteran you may be incompetent and get a fiduciary. it allows the veteran to respond to the letter within a 60-day period. chair luttrell: thank youchair luttrell:. >> i want to thank everyone for their service, continued service to our country. we are grateful to you and terribly sorry for your loss. what you are hearing from me and the chairman's they want to make sure this process is also working for our veterans. that there is clear information. i want to point out a couple of things after the testimony and you will

960 million, you were 97% off your estimate, they are real numbers, i'm telling you miss duke if v.a. has your fingers in this pie this is not going to work, this is testimony from ig, he said, if they are good with developing software systems. v.a. does not have a track record of -- has a track record of difficulty employmenting major i-t system, almost without fail take longer, i prefer to leave it at, thattic -- ig was afraid to tell the truth that is you guys can't manage anything, you came here, previously, and released a statement april 21 of 2023, you said -- this is what you said. there will be 30 million fewer veteran outpatient visits and 81 thousand jobs lost, did that take place? >> did it? >> no, it did not. you will undermine access to telehealth. >> we did not. >> did we worsen time for benefits, you said we didn't, we increased it. we're working on that. right? failed to honor veterans memory by companying on cemeteries -- dumping on cemeteries, did that happen, no. about that -- no. we're expanding them, why is this still on the web site? there is something else to read.

since march 9 of 2024, v.a. has been temporarily prohibited from using funds to report any veteran assigned to a fiduciary to the nix list without a court ruling. this hearing will reveal that congress must pass a permanent piece of legislation or legislative solutions to protect veterans due process. this hearing is not about guns on demand but affording veterans with the same due process rights every other american is afforded. i am looking forward to hearing from our witnesses and thank you, dr. reynolds. i appreciate you traveling all the way from alabama, sir. with that i will yield to the ranking member for his opening remarks. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i am looking forward to working with you. i have enjoyed our relationship for the last four years and enjoy the relationship you had with my predecessor. one thing we have talked about several times is that no matter where we find ourselves outside these walls, we agree, we agree that our veterans deserve our care and have earned our care. they have been made

the v.a. hasa long history of working with our alaska native health organizations to extend the reach of care into very rural parts of alaska and partner to get alaska native veterans but also non-natives that live in these rural communities to go to an alaskan native organization to get the care because they partner with the v.a.. can i get your commitment to continue to partner? to expand and extend v.a. health care for native alaskans in the most rural parts of our state? >> yes, senator, i am willing to commit to that. thank you, congressman and i look forward to supporting you. >> thank you. it is nice to see you and congratulations on your nomination. as part of my responsibilities to ensure the fitness of any nominee that comes before any of my committees, i ask these questions. since you became a legal adult have you ever made unwanted requests for sexual favors or committed any verbal or physical harassment? >> i have not. >> have you ever faced discipline related to this kind of conduct?

and we should remember that year after year the v.a. hasin addressing these critical gaps. last year the v.a. reported almost 3,000 severe occupational staffing shortages, but that didn't stop this administration from pulling every pending job offer the day they took office. and while some have been reinstated, others are still in limbo. just one example, v.a. employees at a facility focused on research and care for veterans with late-stage cancer were told their jobs were under review and they may be terminated altogether. now i know everybody in this chamber believes that we made a commitment to those who have served this country in uniform, and we don't want to fail our veterans when they return home and enter civilian life. so how does this firing the people who take care of them help us fulfill that commitment? and then if we want to talk about jobs that keep americans safe, let's talk about keeping planes from falling out of the sky or colliding on runways. i work closely with the national air traffic control union and the faa's colla

v.a. secretary has been an utter failure. you have government unions. let's start at the v.a..let's make sure those in government are held accountable, that if they are not doing a good job, they can be fired. accountability is how you change cultures. the government unions have a grip on that. then special interests. they are unwilling to change and want to get invited to cocktail parties. they impugn and attack their opponents. the v.a. will fix it, but it doesn't. then you read a 29 page document focus just on me. then it is a hit list of everything you've ever done in your life because they don't want to argue the merits of the issue or issue a report. they just want to attack the opponents and say, we want to privatize or shut it down. it is easy to get along and you can take that example through every spectrum and level of government and every place you were going to meet resistance. every place you are going to fail again and all they want you to do is quit. all they want you to do is quit. the school board wants you to quit, the local government wants you to quit, the v

the v.a. has a mission to take her veterans.if some reason the pattern is not able to get the care and we need to step up and make sure he has why. so trimming the wait. time, they can actually get that. some of the things we could be missing is preventative care that could help us long-term in our cost perspective it for catching early. >> i'm glad you mentioned preventative care. our office now, that is a failure from the va. not a failure on the people, for anyone trying to trust what i'm saying, that is not what i'm saying. the va has a mission to try to take care of veterans. we need to step up and make sure they answer why. trimming down wait times. some of the things we are missing are preventative care that could help us long-term in our cost perspective if we are catching it early. >> thank you. i'm glad you mentioned preventative care. right now something that patients in the affordable care act or other places do not have to pay for their preventative care. prostate cancer screening, your mammograms, breast cancer, :

. >> reporter: army vet george buchanan has worked for the v.a. for nearly 11 years. what was the reaction when you saw this last night? >> a little shocked. i thought it was combative, condescending, insulting especially as a veteran. >> if we can circle back to the announcement to send detained migrants to gitmo. it took the pentagon by surprise. >> reporter: five defense officials tell us many people were caught offguard. the military has no orders or guidance from the white house be on this from the president. tonight homeland security secretary kristi noem says this will require money from congress, meaning it could take months to ramp up. >> thanks. >>> in new york, a federal judge sentenced former senator bob menendez to more than a decade in prison for his conviction on bribery, extortion and other charges. we have late details. >> reporter: tonight, a stiff sentence for a man who was once one of the most powerful members of the senate. a federal judge handing down an 11-year sentence to bob menendez, a democrat from new jersey for numerous crimes including br

v.a. i.d. stephanie: he has insurance but worries it may not be enough in an area where home prices have skyrocketedso many, starting over here may not be an option. for now he is saying at the frthe korean war vet calls himsf a survivor. >> i have been through a lot. that is what i kept thinking. i can get through this. and that is what i am thinking now. stephanie: here in altadena, you can see that conditions have improved since i was here 24 hours ago. the smoke has somewhat cleared. you can still smell it in the air, but you're starting to see some blue sky. you're also continuing to see flames like the ones behind me and smoldering wreckage. this area is still completely closed to residents, many of whom have tried to go back to their houses but have been turned away. they did, however, let media come through this area to assess the damage today. we drove throughout the streets. there were some streets where all of the houses on a block would be burned down, but across the street houses would remain intact. sadly, i have to report that nakia rhodes' duplex is just across the street from where

v.a. system has failed to give it has and i've heard anecdotes that it has. we need to be doing everything we can to be taken care of the soldiers because guys i'd seen that of an injured there have been problems and thus part of the message we're bringing to capitol hill. it's more so for us it is the job in iraq but at the same time for the soldiers we needed to getting we can to ensure they are taken care of. >> did you suffer any entries? >> i did not. >> how about mentally? >> no, i didn't suffer any entries but it takes time to readjust when you come back. waking up in the middle of the night and thinking about, it weighs heavily on your mind and it takes time to adjust. some guys do come back with real problems and conditions that need to be addressed. war is real and you see things and you do things you hope you never have to see or do again. it takes time to adjust. >> our last phone call for pete hegseth comes from kansas city, missouri, good morning. >> hello. i'm going to be brutally honest. i i about republican, not a psychopath neocon. you sound

vought: the president has supported veterans spending and put forward everything they need that the department of v.a. does and i expect that to continue. sen. blumenthal: do you believe disability compensation benefits for veterans should be eliminated if any veteran has a disability -- that's a proposal from the organization he founded, do you continue to believe at? mr. vought: it's a think tank i'm president of, it's not the agenda of the incoming president of the united states, i'm here on behalf of, being his nominee. you should judge him by the budgets he sit -- he sent to congress and i'm here on behalf of of the fiscal responsibility he wants to restore and i fully intend to do that if confirmed. sen. blumenthal: thank you, mr. chairman. sen. paul: i said previously, i am synthetic not only to the arguments that senator peters made but senator blumenthal is making on the power of the purse. the only thing i would caution with this, as we debate this, so much of this is because congress hasn't done a good job with clear parameters, so for example with ukraine money, there's a great deal of di

has just begun. thank you, god bless america, thank you all. thank you very much. [applause] >> at 10:00 a.m. easte, president trump's pick for v.a. secretary doug collins testifies at his confirmion hearing. the house gavels in at noon eastn and will consider several bls. on c-span two, the sene will debate a bill on requiring medical care for a child born after a failed abortion. on c-span3 at 10:00 a.m., new york congressmember, pick to be

v.a. medical center set to open in fredericksburg, virginia has to contend with hiring freezes jeopardizing its opening in february. medical school students are told they can't go to the v.a. because of the hiring freeze impacting the training of a critical work force provider. our veterans deserve much more than this. and veterans should be able to access but this hiring freeze is putting that in jeopardy. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. takano: mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the brave firefighters who have stepped into the breach to take on the fires raging across southern california. their bravery has been on full display these past weeks including in my own district where they have responded. we all owe them our thanks. but i'm troubled by some in the republican conference who are seeking to link emergency aid with to

v.a. health care or global health with abortion. he hasked so many programs, trump, president trump is going to reverse that, and j.d. vance. [cheers and applause] let me just conclude by saying that president trump has done more to protect innocent children than any other president in history. i've been here since 1980 as a member of congress. we have had great presidents. ronald reagan was great. trump has done even more. thank god he's back. since the reversal of roe vs. wade, achieved by three supreme court justices that he appointed and justice alito who is from our old hometown in hamilton, new jersey, half he states have enacted laws to protect the unborn child, saving about 200,000 or more children. we are winning. kids are surviving. because of that reversal. [cheers and applause] the bottom line, ladies and gentlemen, pro lifers are people of persevering faith in god through prayer and fasting. we wail bear any burden, we will endure any attack. we know that the trial injustice of abortion need not be forever and that each day de

vought: the president has supported veterans spending and put forward everything they need that the department of v.a. does and i expect that to continue. sen. blumenthal: do you believe disability compensation benefits for veterans should be eliminated if any veteran has a disability -- that's a proposal from it's a think tank i'm the president of but it's not the agenda of the president of the united states. i'm here on behalf of being his nominee and doing his budgets. rep. blumenthal: is that what he believes? mr. vought: i'm here on the fiscal responsibility he wants to restore and fully intend to do that if confirmed. rep. blumenthal: thank you. >> the comments by blumenthal on power of the purse, as we debate this is so much of this is because congress hasn't done a good job with the parameters. with ukraine money, every week or two you'll see release of it and there's a great deal of discretion given to the president when it is released and how much is released. for example, in last fall when we passed the ukraine money, they decided to call some of it loans, so they did. and then a month lat

the veterans inspector general, mike missile, has recovered billions of dollars for the v.a. firing him and eliminating his independent oversight is a betrayal of trust to our veterans as well as a violation of law because none of these veterans, none of these inspectors general was fired with the requisite 30-day notice to congress and with a statement of reasons and rationale that's required under the law. if the president is really committed to finding waste in government, why is he firing the watchdogs who are the ones who rooted out and today's -- or earlier this week's firing makes clear that the president is lacking in that commitment. we're here because we're determined to fight and we're determined also to continue to support the american people in this outcan cry against -- outcry against lawlessness and recklessness that to imperils hardworking everyday americans. mr. president, i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new mexico. a senator: mr. president, in an overnight maneuver on monday, president trump unlawfully and

i don't know who is against allowing someone who has been waiting for their v.a. home loan to be able to close on that loan. but it's really not about that. it's about a more basic question, which is are we a nation of laws? are we going to allow ourselves to turn into a monarchy? and i want to hearken back to something i mentioned earlier today. the white house press secretary was asked about a specific program. and she said, well they talked a reduce -- russell vought. he is the nominee for the office of management and budget. there are a couple of things wrong with this. first of all, it's not his call whether or not to spend the money. the congress already decided that. and second of all, even more creepy than that, this guy hasn't been confirmed. he's not a government employee. he's not in charge of anything. and we're supposed to, like, petition this person to beg him to follow the law. and so this is the beginning of a long battle over a couple of most basic questions. first, are we going to allow this administration to just cause pain all across the countr

v.a. disability? mr. vought: i won't get ahead of the budget process other than to say it has been a priority to fully fund at the needs of veterans and it will continue is confirmed. sen. gallego: ok. chair paul: senator scott. sen. scott: thank you, chairman. mr. vought congratulations on your nomination. i enjoyed working with you up here before and i know you will do a great job. in biden's four years he had added $8 trillion to the national debt and increased federal spending by 53%. our population is up 2%. we cannot continue down this path of spending way above pre-pandemic levels. with the past four years of joe biden there has not been any serious discussion about how to control spending or reduce are now $36 trillion of debt. if you travel around florida here is what you hear. people can't afford it. they cannot afford the inflation. they said, i can afford to live, a few years ago, but today, with disinflation i cannot buy a house. interest rates are up. i cannot buy a car. i sure as heck cannot pay off my credit card because i have taken -- high interest rates there. what things do you think ar

who's been a fox weekend anchor and who has made all kinds of outrageous statements, and i saw somebody who had actually vetted him, i think, for a low level v.a. job back in 16 and said he wasn't even qualified for that. now, apparently, after doing the weekend anchor job for these these years, now is qualified to do the work there. but make no mistake, these people who are going to be qualified. no. and actually mountains of drama. yeah. and i should make the point that the people who head up these agencies, that's not where the power is going to be. trump being trump to run everything from the white house. so with kristi noem, she's not qualified to run homeland security. she was on ways and means. you know, her whole thing was the death tax. that's what her experience says. she was on the farm death tax. okay. if you want to do the death tax, she's your gal or. shoot puppies. but on homeland, stephen miller at the white house is going to be doing homeland and then you have the guy. how many how many is that? his name? who wants to be doing the deportation? so you have these figureheads they're going to put out the agency is while trump bei

has grown to a historic 62 members because of the work of louis stokes, shirley chisholm and their generation. his legacy lives on through the institutions that bear his name, from the louis stokes v.a. medical center and the stokes library at the howard university, to the lou stokes alliance for minority participation in stem. yet what resonate it's most -- resonates most with me and so many in our district is his ewe manatee -- his humanity. he never forgot where he came from, nor did he ever lose sight for whom he served. he carries with him a deep sense of purpose and a steadfast belief in power of government to do good. i am humbled to serve in the district, ohio's 11th congressional district, that congressman stokes called home. i hope to honor his legacy by striving to be worthy of the standard he set as we reflect on his life, let us commit ourselves to the ideals he held dear and the people he so passionately served. mr. speaker, on his centennial, i would like to say, thank you congressman stokes. your life and contributions were a gift to our district, our state and our nation. mr. speaker -- that's ok. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. brown: th

donald trump has helped me as an american citizen and helped me as a military veteran. i was in the v.aclinic, $250,000 bill going to the hospital and things like that. and donald trump helped the v.a. hospital so much. biden, it's been ridiculous the past four years. i'm hoping trump does good again with the v.a. hospitals because they've been understaffed. it's been crazy. but anyway -- host: are you worried about the staffing of v.a. hospitals, the biggest federal agency amid an effort to offer buyouts to the entire federal work force save the post office, national military jobs. caller: not at all. he will get everything at a level and put people back in. trump has always been a winner. people attack him all the time. you know, with the wars, though, again, we were close to world war 3. people forget where biden had us. trump is going to get us out of war again, that's the number one thing. with the immigration, people forget about the 350,000 children that the democrats lost, you know, and it's ridiculous all the murders and rapes and crimes. people need to come here legally. host: